Two men have been arrested and approximately 16kg of methamphetamine concealed in two marble tables has been seized following a joint Customs and Australian Federal Police (AFP) operation.

The men, a 23-year-old Hong Kong citizen and a 25-year-old Canadian national, are due to appear in Parramatta Local Court today.

The operation began on 10 July when Customs officers at Sydney Air Cargo selected for examination two packages which had arrived from Vancouver, Canada.
The contents were described as ‘home furniture tables’.

An x-ray of the packages revealed a possible concealment and officers examined the contents more closely.

Customs officers drilled a hole into the marble slab and found white powder inside. Preliminary testing of the powder indicated the presence of crystal methamphetamine.

The matter was referred to the AFP, who substituted the drug with an inert substance. The AFP monitored the delivery of the consignment to a residential address in Kingsford, in Sydney’s east.

AFP agents arrested the Hong Kong man at Sydney Airport as he attempted to return to Hong Kong. The other man was arrested at the Kingsford residence as he allegedly attempted to take possession of the packages.

The two men have been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of border controlled substance contrary to 11.1 and 307.5 of the Criminal Code 1995.

The maximum penalty for this offence is a fine of $825,000 and/or life imprisonment.